The Best of Both Worlds

What do Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders have in common?

It could be both of them played football.

Or it could be that they both played baseball.

Or it could be both.

There have been many athletes that have excelled in multiple sports, but Jackson and Sanders are without a doubt the most notable and would even play each other on both several times on the Diamond - the game being called the “Bo and Prime Time Show”.

Bo Jackson began his football career playing college ball at Auburn University. In 1986 he was selected in the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Bucks, however, due to past disputes, Jackson would refuse to play, and pursue his baseball career.

He was selected in the amateur baseball draft by… the Kansas City Royals, making the official roster in 1987. He would play baseball until his retirement in 1995. In Jackson’s 8 seasons in pro baseball, he had a batting average of .250, hit 141 home runs and 415 RBIs and a slugging average of .479.

In 1987 while Jackson was in spring training with the Royals, he was picked in the 7^th round of the NFL draft by the Raiders. Jackson would successfully negotiate a contract that allowed him to play the entire Royals baseball season and return to the Raiders once the baseball season concluded. On January 13, 1991 Jackson suffered an NFL career-ending hip injury. In his four years in the NFL, Jackson rushed for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 40 passes for 352 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Deion “Prime Time” Sanders was one of the most prolific dual athletes of all time. Sanders would make his MLB start in 1989 with the New York Yankees. Sanders would play with 4 different MLB clubs in his career. In the 1989 NFL draft, “Prime Time” Sanders was the 5^th overall draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons, where he played until 1993. Sanders spent his NFL career with the 49ers, Cowboys, Ravens and Red Skins. In the NFL Sanders intercepted 53 passes for 1,331 yards, recovered 4 fumbles, returned 155 kickoffs for 3.523 yards and caught 60 passes for 784 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. Sanders carried a .263 batting average, with 39 home runs and 186 stolen bases in the MLB.

When urged to choose between baseball and football, Sanders responded, “Football is my wife and baseball is my mistress.” Sanders is the first player to score a home run and a touchdown in the same week. He is also the only player to appear in both a World Series and a Super Bowl.

Did you know that the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes is also a dual athlete? Mahomes has not played professional baseball (yet), he played both baseball and football in high school and college before giving up baseball in his sophomore year to focus solely on football.

Did I miss your favorite dual athlete? Comment below to share!

BONUS BLOG - FATHERS' DAY SPECIAL: The Father of Football

I do not have the words to properly express my father’s impact, not only on my passion for football, but on every aspect of my life, but I shall do my best. Throughout my life, my dad has constantly been there for me, teaching me life lessons, how to be a husband, how to be a man and how to be a dad. My father is my hero and my best friend. I would not be the husband I am, the father I am and would surely not even be typing these words as the Blind Quarterback.

“Dad, I need help with homework.”

“Son, the game is on.”

“Dad, I need help on a video game.”

“Son, what day is it? That’s right, its Saturday, that means the game is on.”

“Dad, I was cleaning my prosthetic eye, and it went down the bathroom sink.” (well, he couldn’t ignore that one)

For as far back as I can remember, my Dad’s passion was and still is college football. Until recently, I did not share his passion for football.

My father, instead of trying to influence me to follow his passion, he helped me in developing passions and hobbies of my own that he and I could share together. My father and I spent countless hours playing video games together. He would begrudgingly help me through the harder dungeons of Super Mario Brothers - and to this day, he still gives me tips on how to get my Crusader up to level 70 on Diablo 3. We enjoy all forms of comedy films, from classics like The Odd Couple and Uncle Buck, to the works of Jim Carrey, such as Dumb and Dumber, and action movies such as the Jason Bourne series, Star Trek and our favorite being the James Bond series.

When I first took up the passion of football, my father described it in ways that even being blind, I could still understand and envision, describing the football field like a giant shoebox. Since then, he has written me dozens of emails, explaining everything from plays, to rules, to passing route trees, to running routes, to formations and beyond - all in ways that his blind son, who has never seen the game, can perfectly understand.

“Son, I’m happy to teach you, but I want you to know, don’t do this for me, or because you feel it will improve our relationship, because our relationship is perfect the way it is.”

It has meant the world to me to finally share in my dad’s passions for the game of football, but that being said, we never needed it. It has just made something that was already so strong even better.

I now share in his passion of football and before this summer is over, I will join him and my wonderful mother in their home in Alaska.

My father and I will bring in the new football season, and since Alaska is three hours behind the Missouri time zone, we will be getting up at 5:00 AM to watch “ESPN’s College Game Day” - the first kickoff is at 8:00 AM.

Happy Fathers’ Day everyone! Comment below with your stories with your fathers!